Greg Studrawa was Plan B to be hired as Maryland's offensive line coach, but he brings an alpha personality to the Terps' staff.

Greg Studrawa was Plan B to be hired as Maryland's offensive line coach, but he brings an alpha personality to the Terps' staff. (Derick E. Hingle, USA Today Sports)

Jeff BarkerThe Baltimore Sun

COLLEGE PARK — Every football staff needs a big personality, and Maryland seems to have found its alpha assistant in Greg Studrawa, the new offensive line coach whose raspy voice is certain to be heard echoing around the Gossett Football Team House.

"Coach Stud" — who helped seal the signing of offensive lineman Damian Prince, Maryland's top recruiting target this year — follows in the tradition of ex-staff members such as Greg Gattuso and Dave Sollazzo, who possess high energy and a goofy sort of charm.

Cheeseboro, a redshirt sophomore last season, had played sparingly as a reserve. He was limited by a concussion sustained in October when his bicycle collided with a bus at a campus intersection. Cheeseboro, who attended Milford Mill and Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, had previous injury issues but played on special teams the previous season.

Maryland also said that Evan Mulrooney, a redshirt sophomore last season, is switching from center to guard. He will open spring practices as the backup to Silvano Altamirano.

"Just trying to find the five best offensive linemen" to put on the field at once, head coach Randy Edsall said of the switch.

Spring practice begins March 1 and ends with the red-white game on the evening of April 11. In between, the Terps — who will practice in the mornings — will again leave College Park to hold an open scrimmage in another part of the state. They will travel to North Point High School in Waldorf for a scrimmage on March 28.

Terps staff members were wearing colorful wrist bands Friday with a new slogan for the season — "By any means" — in black lettering.

Last year's slogan was "Hold the Rope." The Terps finished 7-6, losing to Marshall in the Military Bowl.

Maryland focused on attracting offensive linemen during the recently completed recruiting push. The school signed five of them — more players than at any other position. None was more coveted than the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Prince, ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 2 offensive tackle recruit.

Studrawa said Maryland's move to the Big Ten this year is already an inducement for recruits.

"I think it's unbelievably awesome," he said. "In this day and age, those kids wants to play in those conferences. They want to play on TV."

Prince seemed to be long leaning toward Maryland. But the school had no offensive line coach to mentor the player after it decided not to renew the contract of Tom Brattan after last season. Brattan's successor, Dave DeGuglielmo, left within a week of being hired to become offensive line coach of the New England Patriots.

Studrawa was "Plan B."

"Greg was a guy who came up kind of as we were finishing the process the first time," Edsall said. "He's very familiar with the style of offense that we run."

Studrawa was hired on Jan. 25.

"I got a call from [Maryland recruiting coordinator] John Dunn that [the job] was back open, and would I be interested. And I said, 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me,'" said Studrawa, 49.

Two days later, Studrawa was dispatched by Maryland to travel to Texas to recruit offensive lineman Brendan Moore. Three days after that, he was sititng in Prince's living room with Edsall and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.

Maryland had been recruiting Prince, from Bishop McNamara in Forestville, for years.

"I think the only thing holding him back was there was no line coach here," Studrawa said.

Studrawa believed that Prince merely wanted to be assured of a comfort level with his future position coach if he signed with Maryland.

"You've to sell yourself, because you're going to be around that guy," Studrawa said. "I'm going to spend more time with them than anybody. They're around [from] 7 a.m. until 10 at night. They've got to have that trust."

Studrawa said Prince was sold not only on Maryland, but on the Big Ten. The Terps' first season in the conference will include games against Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State.

On signing day, Prince sat in his high school auditorium and placed a black Maryland cap on his head to indicate he was choosing Maryland over Florida and South Carolina. Watching on television in College Park, Terps coaches shouted with joy and high-fived one another.

"He made a statement, I think," Studrawa said Friday of Prince. "He said, 'I'm going to stay home and have great opportunities in education. We're going to go into the Big Ten and win championships.'"